D&D 5E 5E -- Viable Bladesinger Multiclass Options?

[Azaar]

So, I'm in the midst of sketching out a new 5E character for an upcoming campaign that will begin in February. I'm opting to go the wizard route, and specifically play a moon elf bladesinger. Part of our character creation, though, is coming up with a background -- not the mechanical background as part of 5E chargen, but a literal back-story for each character in the campaign for the DM's perusal. And so I've been looking at what seems intriguing for roleplay prospects.

While my original plan was to go pure bladesinger (I rolled 12, 15, 16, 16, 16, 17), the background I've concocted for my character doesn't lend well to a pure build. Short version: while born of an elven noble family, she wanted adventure and excitement (you know, all those things a Jedi ought not to crave). She fell in with a shady crowd, got into trouble, and while certain doors were no longer open to her, other avenues did open up. Ultimately, she's still become a bladesinger… just one with some extra skills that most wouldn't expect of your standard-fare wizard.

Mechanically, I was looking at Arcana and Investigation as skills from Wizard, Perception would be free for being high elf... and I really liked the flavor of the Urban Bounty Hunter, with the idea of taking Insight and either Persuasion or Stealth (hadn't quite decided on that front, but was leaning towards Persuasion).

With that in mind, I began to envision Bard 2 / Wizard 18 -- I would have the full spellcasting slots available, and have a couple of extra bard cantrips and extra 1st level spells, though at the cost of having to be more cautious in the spells I would ultimately choose for wizard as I leveled up. Multiclassing into bard would net me another skill (assuming that I went with Persuasion over Stealth, then I likely would have gone for Deception), and the second level would give me Jack of All Trades (allowing me to better my non-proficient skills, which would be nice since I'm leery of taking the Skilled feat). It would cost me my ASI at 19th level wizard, but originally I thought the tradeoff would be worth it.

Now, though, I'm not so sure. Part of me is starting to think a level of rogue (the initial level 1 choice, since it gives me a lot of bang for my buck) might be a better thematic fit for my bladesinger-to-be. Four skills, plus two from background (it would have to be a different background, at least in that it would be more themed as "arcane spy" or something along those lines, to have Arcana as a proficiency), plus Perception, and have two skills with Expertise. Then dive the rest of the way into wizard. This would mean I lose a 7th level spell slot by level 20, but I would have all my ASIs (even though they'd be one level behind everyone else's), and perhaps have better overall options: if nothing else, it would avoid me having umpteen million 1st level spells from multiclassing in bard and wizard both. Or, if I want to be even more of a skill money, do Rogue 1 / Bard 1 / Wizard 18 (still down a 7th level spell slot, lose an ASI, and have umpteen 1st level spells, but get another skill out of it, which I could assign as Arcana and then keep the Urban Bounty Hunter background).

I've read Inquisitor Lim's bladesinger guide, as well as familiarized myself with Treatmonk's take (which seems more centered around battlefield control than Lim's version). Both takes are pure bladesinger builds, and multiclassing isn't really encouraged.

So, I guess I'm asking whether I should try to multiclass (and if so, what option would be best), or whether I should stick with a pure bladesinger build and spend an ASI on the Skilled feat (I already fully intend on having War Caster at some point). Constructive criticism is welcome.

 

[ccs]

What lv are you starting at?

Now what lvs do you realistically envision reaching?
I ask as I find it absurd to worry about how doing x now would cost you an ASI at 19th lv, or a spell slot at lv 20....

As usual, my advice is to write up a character. Then make whatever mechanical choices help you best represent that.
Worry about crossing 19th & 20th lv bridges once you hit about 16th lv or so.

 

[Leatherhead]

Battlesmith Artificer. That's basically a compromise between rogue and bard while favoring your Int stat. Also, you have your own Droid companion (who scales with your proficiency bonus!) for added Jedi flavor.

Go up to level 3, have your "coming back to the light" moment, and level up the rest of the way as a Bladesinger.

 

[delph]

What lv are you starting at?

Now what lvs do you realistically envision reaching?
I ask as I find it absurd to worry about how doing x now would cost you an ASI at 19th lv, or a spell slot at lv 20....

As usual, my advice is to write up a character. Then make whatever mechanical choices help you best represent that.
Worry about crossing 19th & 20th lv bridges once you hit about 16th lv or so.

Thats important, but as I read it it's 20 lvl char.

1 lvl rogue is almost everytime good choice when you play not only hack and slash style. Expertize on arcana and investigation is really good.

And not sure if you really need bard.

 

[Azaar]

We are starting at level 2. The current campaign I'm in (run by the same DM) looks to be hitting about 16th level or thereabouts, at least. So maybe that last ASI won't matter so much. I'm the sort who likes to plan characters out all the way to 20, though, and if we do go all the way and reach 20, I wanted to have Spell Mastery (for shield and misty step).

The main reason I looked at Bard was partially for the extra skill, but mainly for the full spell slot progression and Jack of all Trades -- having up to a +3 bonus to Acrobatics (especially since I'd have advantage on Acrobatics checks with Bladesong) would be nice, since my DM has shown that he does like to grapple. The idea for Bard, at that point, would have been to have more social skills and not be the typical bookworm/wallflower that wizards usually are in social situations.

If I do the one-level dip in Rogue, I'd have to decide where I want to go skill-wise -- the background (mechanically speaking), I'd likely mix-and-match between Faction Agent and Urban Bounty Hunter, and have Arcana and Insight. Rogue skills most likely would wind up being Acrobatics, Deception, Investigation and Persuasion (I'll forgo Stealth in that instance). However...

If I go Rogue 1 / Bard 1: I'd stick wholly with Urban Bounty Hunter and have Insight and Stealth. Rogue would be Acrobatics, Decepticon, Investigation and Persuasion. Bard would give me Arcana. And then, go from there in Wizard and bladesing my merry way.

I just like the idea of playing a character that has been exposed to the shady side of life, and found a way to incorporate and use that knowledge in a spy-esque fashion.

 

[Esker]

The biggest cost to multiclassing isn't what you lose at level 19 or 20 -- if you do get there it's a small part of the campaign -- but being behind in spell levels. A two level dip means your biggest guns will be one spell level behind what they'd be otherwise for the entire campaign. Make sure you weigh that properly against the benefits.

It sounds like your main motivation for multiclassing is the skills... With your stats you'll presumably start with 18 INT, 18 DEX and 16 CON, giving you 20 AC in studded leather with bladesong, to 25 with shield. If you do still get hit, you'll have +7 on your concentration saves. So you can afford to delay taking feats to boost concentration, and as a bladesinger you can't use medium armor or shields even if you got proficiency. To me that suggests that you can afford to put an early feat into skilled. I think you will feel the price of the feat less than you would feel being down a spell level.

What other feats do you have your eye on?

 

[Esker]

If you stay pure bladesinger, you could take arcana and investigation from wizard, deception and persuasion from your background, and still have +4 with advantage on acrobatics in bladesong, which will usually be good enough to get out of grapples. You also get performance from bladesinger -- you could ask the DM if you could swap that for acrobatics (it certainly fits the class).

There is also the Fey Step feat, which you could pair with elven accuracy, or observant.

 

[Blue]

Not that the ability score bonuses line up quite as nicely, but if you went Half Elf instead of High Elf you get an extra skill from that, plus you can take the Prodigy racial feat from Xanathar's which will give you a skill, a tool, a language, and an expertise. Without giving up any levels of spells known.

A dip I've looked at before but it doesn't look like it will fit your background in Cleric (Know) 1. Gives spell slots, known cleric 1st level spells and cantrips, and two expertise from an INT-based list.

 

[Esker]

I thought about the half-elf route, but it didn't seem like a good tradeoff to me.

Assuming Prodigy Half-Elf vs Skilled High Elf, half-elf gives:

expertise in one skill
slightly better social skills
two languages
one tool

and loses:

a point of INT or DEX
a cantrip
one skill proficiency (up one prior to L4, down one after)
some extra weapon proficiencies
access to Fey Teleportation feat (OP expressed interest in frequent misty steps)

I'm a big fan of expertise, but that doesn't sound like a great trade to me.

 

[Azaar]

We've already got at least one, if not two half-elves, if memory serves, and one variant human (which, in a weird way, fits because the backdrop of the campaign is that there are not too many humans -- let alone human adventurers -- left, due to a war between humans and pretty much every demihuman race).

Esker called it right in that my plan was 18 in DEX and INT, 16 in CON. My original plan was War Caster at level 4, +2 INT (to 20) at 8, +2 DEX (to 20) at 12. 16 could potentially be +1 WIS/CHA (the original plan was CHA 15 and WIS 16, but if I went for more the social route, I could swap the stats around to fit)) from Elven Accuracy, making it 16, but there is also Mobile (which would net me 50 ft./round movement among other things). And the idea of bolstering CON is a possibility as well (because who doesn't like more hit points).

My spell selection was going to be... interesting, to say the least. I've been considering running not so much the direct-damage spells in favor of more battlefield control, with some subterfuge and skirmish tactics thrown in (for instance, steel wind strike as one of my 5th level spells, and stuff like slow, counterspell and the like). I know we have a Rogue going into Swashbuckler, a Ranger and a Paladin, and I think maybe a Barbarian as well), which would lend me to play a support role rather than be another front-line melee, but melee can be done in a pinch -- I'm just not going to disillusion myself that this is like 2nd edition bladesinger kit from Complete Book of Elves. And I'd even considered playing around with the prospect of simulacrum and maybe clone as an insurance policy of sorts.